Structures of the Brain & Their Function

Oldest part of brain; Responsible for automatic survival functions (such as breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure)

• Brainstem

• Amygdala

• Hippocampus

• Hypothalamus

attached to the rear of the brainstem; coordinates voluntary movements and balance

• Brainstem

• Occipital Lobe

• Cerebellum

• Hippocampus

set of structures associated with motivation, emotion, and learning

• Cerebral Cortex

• Limbic System

• Cerebellum

• Hippocampus

associated with visual processing; helps us make sense of what we see (from colors and shapes to motion and depth)

• Cerebral Cortex

• Parietal Lobe

• Occipital Lobe

• Frontal Lobe

integrates (combines) sensory information from various body parts into a single, unified experience

• Cerebral Cortex

• Parietal Lobe

• Occipital Lobe

• Frontal Lobe

associated with the formation of emotional memories & fear responses

• Brainstem

• Hypothalamus

• Hippocampus

• Amygdala

Involved in speech production; damage to this area can lead to telegraphic speech with very simple grammatical structure

• Frontal Lobe

• Temporal Lobe

• Broca's Area

• Wernicke's Area

responsible for the transfer of STM to LTM; associated with learning

• Frontal Lobe

• Amygdala

• Hippocampus

• Basal Ganglia

plays a role in habit formation and procedural memory

• Amygdala

• Hypothalamus

• Hippocampus

• Basal Ganglia

specializes in processing nonverbal info (spatial perception, visuals, emotion); controls left side

• Right Hemisphere

• Frontal Lobe

• Occipital Lobe

• Motor Cortex